The Kansas City Chiefs came close to giving their fans a heart attack for the second week in a row, but still managed to Cincinnati Bengals a 26-25 defeat on a winning 51-yard field goal by placekicker Harrison Butker as time expired.

It wasn’t a pretty game. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes uncharacteristically threw two interceptions and was constantly under pressure from the Bengals’ pass rushers. But in the end, the reigning champions did enough to emerge victorious — and start the season 2-0.

There were many things to learn from Sunday’s game. Here are five.

1. Kingsley Suamataia gets his beatings

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A week after I wrote that Kansas City rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia would be fine — and the same week he told reporters he was looking forward to the challenge of going up against Cincinnati pass rusher Trey Hendrickson — Suamataia was struggling.

I’m still not worried about the rookie’s development; he’s going to be a good player in this league. But when you start a rookie at left tackle, sometimes you get games like this. Even the best prospects inevitably have their “welcome to the NFL” moments. This was his.

Even more worryingly, head coach Andy Reid decided to keep Suamataia on an island for the majority of the match, leaving them to be defeated with little to no extra help.

After the game, Reid suggested it was in fact a trial by fire for his left tackle.

“Sometimes when you get beat a few times — and you’re a young guy — you haven’t quite figured out the answers to the test (and) how to solve it,” Reid explained. “Your coach talks to you. You have to calm down — and that happens. So you go back and you learn from it.”

2. Rivalry games are difficult to estimate

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To quote superfan Taylor Swift: Kansas City and Cincinnati have “Bad Blood.”

There’s no heartbreak between these two teams. But even when they’re on good terms with the other team, back-to-back defending Super Bowl champions always get the better of their opponents. Plus, when emotions run high (and both teams know each other so well), games inevitably come down to the wire.

So you often see sloppy play in rival games. That’s certainly what we saw with Mahomes, who threw two interceptions. A third was called back after the Bengals were flagged for illegal contact with tight end Travis Kelce, who was not on the play.

It was an ugly game — but maybe we should have expected that. Here’s where I end up with the Chiefs: While there are things that need fixing, I’m not too worried about the long-term outlook. Kansas City is still the team to beat in the NFL.

3. Andy Reid trusts Harrison Butker — really trusts him

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The Chiefs showed their confidence in Butker this offseason by giving him a five-year contract extension, making him the league’s highest-paid kicker.

On Sunday, Reid confirmed that confidence when he decided to play it cautiously on the game’s final drive, running two plays up the middle and letting the clock tick down to three seconds before firing in a game-clinching 51-yard field goal from Butker.

There aren’t many NFL placekickers that coaches would have that much confidence in, especially when the alternative would be Mahomes using the final minute to gain more yardage.

But that’s where we are now. This team is so battle-tested — and has been through so many close battles like this — that you can trust the veterans to come out on top.

4. Trent McDuffie is a top player

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To be honest… this verdict has been decided for a while.

But there was some doubt whether McDuffie could fill L’Jarius Sneed’s former role: keeping the other team’s No. 1 wide receiver in check. But those questions were put to rest Sunday. Cincinnati star wideout Ja’Marr Chase was a nonfactor, limited to a paltry 35 yards on four catches.

McDuffie frustrated Chase so much that the receiver got angry with the officials late in the game and threw his helmet to the sideline in a childish tantrum that cost the Bengals 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct. So make that 20 yards on four catches.

It was fun to see McDuffie make such a statement.

5. The big boy dance is still undefeated

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As an offensive lineman, you rarely get the chance to score a touchdown, so when you do, you have to make the most of it.

Early in the second half, the Chiefs settled into a tackle-eligible formation, bringing in an extra lineman and playing him as a tight end. This gives the offense an extra blocker in short-yardage running situations — such as on the goal line.

But every once in a while, when the extra lineman can slip into the flat (in this case, the end zone), the quarterback can find him with a touchdown pass. Then we are privileged to witness one of the greatest scenes in sports: the Big Guy Touchdown Celebration.